If My Heart Was a Mansion
by violentyetawesome
Summary: "If my heart was a mansion, I would be able to keep the people I hold dear in there forever. But my heart isn't a mansion, and it's not worth one either. But you still kiss me, and you still love me. Even when I'm dead. So maybe yours is?" IchigoxOc
1. Of Arguments and Almost Love Confessions

_**If My Heart Was a Mansion**_

_Chapter One_

_Of Arguments and Almost Love Confessions_

* * *

"So…..let me get this straight. You are no longer a soul reaper."

"Yeah."

"Because Rukia's brother-who is pretty sexy-"

"_Tide_."

"Fine, fine! Okay, so Rukia's sexy brother came and tried to kill you-"

"No, a guy with red hair did."

"Fine, whatever. So a red head came and tried to kill you- I was getting there; Renji, right? Anyway, he tried to kill you, but Sexy Boy stopped him and took away your powers, and they took Rukia, and so now you have to get your powers back-"

"I already got them back! Do you _listen_?"

"No! Anyway, ya got your powers back and you're going to the Soul Society to save Rukia?" Tide didn't wait for an answer. "Yes, you are. Hm."

Ichigo didn't know why he didn't expect it- he should have reminded himself of Tide's…._violent _tendencies and been prepared to dodge the sharp uppercut. But alas, Ichigo had been dead set on telling her, and had disregarded his own safety.

Really. As her boyfriend, he should have known.

"_Did you even bother to invite me!_" Tide roared, and Ichigo could almost image an explosion to go along with her anger in the background. Ichigo quickly scrambled back to his feet, glaring at the red head.

"No!" He yelled, bending down to be eye level with the girl. "It's too dangerous!"

"_WHATTTTTTT!_"

Oh, he should've known.

Another uppercut, along with a kick in the shins.

"DON'T YOU EVER TRY TO USE THAT LAME EXCUSE ON ME AGAIN, YOU UNDERSTAND!" Tide raged, launching an onslaught of attacks onto her orange haired boyfriend. Their friends stood on the sidelines, used to this.

Chad watched silently, chuckling every now and then. He would never tire of watching his friend bicker with his girlfriend-it was highly amusing to him. When he had met Tide, he knew she would be good for Ichigo- she seemed able to be able to calm him down whenever he needed to, and to rev him up when it was the right time. And even though Tide's…..ways of balancing Ichigo scared a lot of people, it seemed to work.

Orihime, however, felt a bit different about the situation. Ever since she had seen Tide, the large busted girl had felt dislike worm it's nasty way into her heart. Maybe it was the way Ichigo looked at her. Maybe it was the way Tide looked at him. Or maybe it was just everything about the very thought of _Tide and Ichigo _that set her off. But they were still friends. And friends don't hate each other. "Maybe you should go easy on him, Tide?" She suggested timidly. Tide looked up, setting her glare on Orihime. "_What was that_?" She growled darkly, and the girl felt unwelcome shivers race down her spine.

Ichigo took this moment to make an escape from the bottom of his girlfriend's shoe and grab her arm. "Look, I'm not gonna argue in the middle of the street. Let's go." With that, he nodded a quick goodbye to Orihime and Chad, and dragged the still protesting Tide away towards his house.

* * *

"Ugh. I hate you so much. _So much_. It's overwhelming. I hate you." Tide glared at the back of Ichigo's head as he typed away on his computer. "Yeah, yeah, love you too." Tide grumbled as she threw herself onto his bed. "I don't think I like that sarcasm right there, Kurosaki. Not. At. All."

Finally, Ichigo spun around, frustration clear. Tide could tell- his shoulders were tense and he was gritting his teeth.

"What do you want from me?" He exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. "I try to protect you-"

"I don't want your damn protection!"  
"-and you keep bothering me about it!"

"_UGH_!" Tide threw her hands into the air, also, causing Ichigo to lower his. "Dude! I _told _you what I want!" Ichigo glared at the red head. "Yeah, well, it's not happening." He finalized it by serving around and continuing to type. He heard Tide through her hands up in frustration. "Why am I even having this conversation with you!" She hissed, getting up from the bed and heading for the door.

"It's not like you own me! I'll do whatever the hell I want!"

And the door slammed shut.

Ichigo had to fight the urge to run after her, opting to watch as she walked away through the window. It was kind of amusing to watch her get into a fight with a local drunk over brushing shoulders with her.

He smiled.

"Wait! Tide!"

* * *

"_Call of the ninja! I summon you!_"

The cloth of the black cloak wrapped around her mouth and forehead, and two twin short swords appeared in Tide's hands. She clenched them tightly, leaning forward on the rooftop.

"_Shadow Walk!_"

She arrived minutes after Uryu, smirking under the fabric covering her mouth.

"What's with the dress?" She teased, brushing past him. He let out a little yelp, then, seeing it was just Tide, scowled.

"I should've known," He muttered. Ichigo stepped forward.

"I could've sworn I said not to come…." He murmured, standing a good few inches away from her. The distance irritated her, and no doubt him, too.

"Yeah, well, ninjas never listen." She snorted. She brushed past him, a certain tension in the air. Ignoring it, Tide undid the spell that caused her to dress as a ninja and turned around.

"Excellent. The gang's all here." Urahara smiled as he walked up to the group. "Well then, inside, I'll explain…..how to get to the Soul Society."

"There was no need for a pause, Kisuke." Tide deadpanned, shoving past him. He ignored her, as expected.

"Please listen carefully. Otherwise….you won't make it there alive."

"Once again, the pause-mrrphm!" Tide was silenced when Ichigo covered her mouth with his hand, holding her close to him. Despite her flawing, she relaxed quite a bit.

"W…Wow! I had no idea this huge space was underneath Mr. Kisuke's store! It's cool! It's like a secret base!"

"Cool?" Ichigo questioned, still covering an irritated Tide's mouth.

"Hmm….."

As Tessai fawned over Orihime, Tide had delivered her infamous uppercut of the day to Ichigo's face, causing him to back off.

"Pay attention please! And away we go!" Kisuke shut his fan.

A great rumbling shook the area as a square like frame appeared from the ground. "All right! This gate leads to the Soul Society! The Senkai Mon, the tunnel world gate. Please listen carefully. I'm about to tell you how to pass through this gate without dying."

After much drama and explanations that Tide didn't bother paying attention to, they were finally able to enter the Senkai Mon. However, before they could, Ichigo decided to stop Tide.

"Look, Tide….I wanted to say sorry. I guess I didn't want to see you get hurt, and even though-"

"Dude. Shut up. Get to the point."

Ichigo seemed a bit surprised by this, but quickly got over it. "What I'm trying to say is…I never told you how I feel. And in case something happens…..I wanted to tell you that-"

"Heyyy! Hurry up!"

_DAMN YOU ORIHIME!_

"WHYYYYYYY!"


	2. It's So Obvious

_**If My Heart Was a Mansion**_

_Chapter Two_

* * *

When they stepped inside the Sekai Mon, Ms. Cat-as Tide had deemed her (she didn't get how the others could thing she was a guy, because she didn't have….._the thing_.)- allowed them to look around. Tide, however, refused this unspoken invotation and took about to jumping from wall to wall, giving herself a good start.

_Mwahahaha! With this distance, I'll be the first one there! And I'll show that stupid Ichigo that I can totally-_

"Come! Don't just stand there! The wall of Koryu is coming!" Ichigo looked around. "Where's Tide!"

"MWAHAHAHAH! I'M GONNA BE THE FIRST ONE THEREEE! I'M GONNA BE THE FIRST ONE THERRREEEE!"

Ichigo sweatdropped. "So that's where she is." The group soon took off after the girl.

"The….The walls are collapsing! Uryu yelled. "They're crumbling behind us!"

"Don't look back-run! If the Koryu swallows us, we're done for!" Ms. Cat yelled.

Tide, always the one to never listen, looked back, eager to see what was so important. To her amusement, Uryu's cape got caught on a fallen wall. "Huh? AAHHH?"

Tide almost fell off of her wall from laughing so hard.

"Idiot! It's that stupid costume you're wearing! TIDE! STOP LAUGHING!" Ichigo yelled, preparing to cut off the offending cape.

"Wait! Don't use the Zanpakuto! The Koryu entangles all spiritual entities! If you swing that sword, you'll both be swallowed up!"

"ICHIGOOOOO!"

"WHAT!" Ichigo swung his head over to the direction his girlfriend was in. She had gotten so far ahead that she could relax on top of one of the walls.  
"GO AHEAD AND SWING THAT SWORD! WE'LL LEAVE BOTH OF YOU BEHIND!"

"AREN'T YOU MY GIRLFRIEND! Anyway, what am I supposed to do?"

The situation was solved when Chad grabbed the back of Uryu's cap, ripped it off, and carried the poor Quincy over his shoulder. "Let's go!" Chad said. Ichigo looked a bit appalled. "O-Okay!"

"Put me down Chad! I can run on my own! Put me-" Tide dropped down to the ground in front of the group and started running in front. "W-Wait guys! Something's coming!"

Ms. Cat looked back, so Tide did too.

The thing looked like a giant cocoon, with a light shining out of a hole in it. "AHHHHH! THE SUN!"  
"THAT'S NOT THE SUN, YOU BAKA!"

"Then what is it?"

"It's a Kototsu- a cleaner! It appears once every seven days….why now! Run! Very fast! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!"

"Hey! Is that the exit?" Tide asked, pointing forward.

"No! It's catching up!" Someone screamed. Tide was too busy running to notice.

Then…

"Hinagiku! Baigon! Lily! Santen Kesshun! I…..REJECT!"

And a giant nacho protected them. A _nacho_. Tide loved them Mexicans.

Never mind.

"Whoa! Is everyone alright?" Orihime breathed, smiling. "Wow! Ichigo, that's a cool landing pose!"

"Shut up."

"Ow….jeez, what a trip that was. Worse than I expected."

Tide, meanwhile, was silently falling….falling….THUMP!

Ichigo and the others, during this time, had encountered Jindanbo, a giant gate keeper. Ichigo was currently separated from his friends by a giant mound of ground that they couldn't get over.  
"Hey….where's Tide."

Ichigo's eye twitched when they were silent. "Of course…."

Ms. Cat sighed. "It's believable, that with her ninja spiritual powers, she has managed to find a way over the wall."

"No. She bounced off of Orihime's shield when it landed and flew over the border." Chad said. Ichigo sighed.

"That's so like her…."

* * *

Tide sipped her tea. "Once again, thank you very much for catching me. I don't think I would've lived if I had slammed against this hard pavement." She said, looking up.

The guy in front of her smiled- not like he ever stopped. His eyes were always closed, too- how could he possibly see?

"It's no problem." He waved a hand in the air. "Anything to help a beautiful young woman, such as yourself."

_Possible pervert? _"Ah, thanks!" Tide laughed nervously. "But I have a boyfriend, and he'll probably kick yer ass if you tell me that again. Oh, but who cares? Go ahead, complement me!"

After sharing a laugh and having more tea, Guy looked up. "Oh, I never caught your name."

"Oh, Tide. You?"  
"Gin."

Gin looked up. "Ah, here they come. Please wait, Tide-san. This shouldn't take long."

"Don't make it sound like a date." Tide deadpanned.

* * *

Jidanbo trembled in fear. "The leader of third company….Gin Ichimaru."

"Ohh, Gin even scares big ape man! Oh!" Tide looked behind the giant. "It's Ichigo. Whoops. He's probably really angry that I'm here and not…there." She scooted farther into her hiding place.

"Uh-oh. This won't do."

And off went the ape's arm.

_That move….it's similar to my move Stealth Strike. _Tide thought in wonder.

"Won't do at all. A gatekeeper ain't supposed to open gates."

_Then what are they supposed to do? Open doors?_

Blood splattered everywhere, staining the ground, falling on people's clothes. Jidanbo let out a cry of pain.

Tide scowled. "Ugh. This is disgusting."

"Golly. You can hold up that gate with just one arm. You surely are the Soul Society's strongest giant." He smirked. "But as a gatekeeper, you're a failure."

The ape man began to speak. "I lost…the obvious thing to do…..was to open the gate for the victor!"

"What're you talking about? Didn't anybody tell you? A gatekeeper that loses can't open gates." Gin began to walk forward. "'Cause a gatekeeper that loses…..dies."

There was a glint of the sword being swung, and the sound of the said blade being deflected. Both Ichigo and Gin were pushed back.

Ms. Cat looked horrified as Ichigo swung in sword around in a 'threatening' way. "HEY JERK-FACE, WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING!"

_He stole my word! _Tide fumed.

"The fight between Jindanbo and me was over! If you shove your nose in my business, you'll lose it!"

Gin was silent.  
"Orihime. Take care of Jinbanbo's arm."  
"Oh…Okay!"

"C'mon…" Ichigo got into a fighting stance. "If you wanna fight someone, fight me. Only a coward would butcher a defenseless giant. **I'll cut you up**."

* * *

"Tide-chan!"

"AHHHHHHH!" Tide jumped up from her hiding spot and blindly swung her swords around in the air. At some point, she had managed to knick herself on the cheek, causing blood to splutter out. "AH! AH! BLOOD!"

Orihime laughed nervously. "Uh….the fight is over, and I saw you hiding here, so….."

Whatever Orihime was going to say was cut off by Tide being pushed to the ground by Ichigo's foot.

"Ha! Thought you could hide forever, did ya? WELL, YA CAN'T! I AM THE ALL KNOWING-AHHHH!"

In three seconds flat, Tide had Ichigo's arm twisted behind his back, and he was currently kissing the dirt. "WHAT WAS THAT! I GOT HERE BEFORE YOU! THEREFOR, IT IS _I _WHO IS-MPHMM!"

Orihime, a bit heartbroken, trudged away as the couple kissed.

Tide was the first to pull away, and when she did, she dealt Ichigo a couple of punches to the chest. "Don't go kissing me out of nowhere." She mumbled, her blush still dusting her cheeks. Ichigo chuckled and kissed her forehead. "Get used to it."

"DIDN'T I JUST SAY NOT TO!"

Ms. Cat sighed. "Those two…."


	3. A Flash From The Past?

_**If My Heart Was A Mansion**_

_Chapter 3_

* * *

"Shuno…..Ayame. Sotenkishun…..I reject."

Tide nudged Ichigo roughly in the ribs. "There it is!" She pestered. "The nacho! The healing nacho! Do you see it?" Ichigo gave his girlfriend an annoyed looked. "Yeah, Tide, I see it. Now, go play with the other little kids, okay?" Tide shrugged and, shoving his arm off of her shoulder, she ran towards her new friends. Ichigo sighed and turned to the guy he had been talking to. "You were saying?"

"Uh, yeah. Soul Reapers are a bunch of strutting bullies. But Jidanbo is from Rukongai. He's always been kind to us. And you stood up to Gin Ichimaru for Jidanbo's sake. That makes you okay by us." Ichigo nodded, then looked back at Tide.

Tide was currently chasing the kids around in a game of tag. She was ambushed by a horde of smiling kids, and twitched on the ground for a few seconds before throwing them off with a victory cry. The game began once more.

"That girl, she's something special to ya, ain't she?" The villager asked, gesturing to Tide.

Ichigo was a bit ashamed to feel the heat rush to his cheeks. "I, well, I, uh…yeah." He spluttered. Even after 2 years of being together, he was still embarrassed and defensive when someone asked a question related to him and Tide…..together…..as a couple…

"Heyyy! Ichigo! Look!" Tide made a face, crossing her eyes and sticking her tongue out. The sticks in her nose seemed painfully shoved in. "I'm a walrus!" Ichigo sighed.

"Why do I feel like a father instead of a boyfriend?" He grumbled, jogging over to yank the sticks out of the girl's nostrils.

* * *

Hours later, Orihime was still working on Jidanbo's arm. It was almost completely healed. "You guys okay? Shuno, Ayame. I'm sorry. It won't be long now though."

All of a sudden, Orihime had a dazed look on her face. Confused, Tide started to walk over.

"Hey, Orihime-"  
"You must be tired."

Tide hid behind a corner as Orihime let out a squeal. "I-I-I-I-I-Ichigo!" Ichigo seemed shocked, too. "S-Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. M-Maybe you should go inside and rest pretty soon." Orihime blinked. "Huh? That's okay, it won't be much longer now."

"You've been out here a long time, Orihime."

Orihime blushed. "H-Healing someone from the Soul Society is different! Anyway, we're almost finished!" Ichigo sweatdropped. "How long is 'almost'?"

"Um….only five hours!"

"That's three soccer games! You're gonna collapse."

Tide pressed her back against the wall as the villagers fawned over Orihime. "I'm such a horrible person." She clenched her hands into fists.

"Tide!"

Said girl jumped before peeking around the wall.

Ichigo had stopped in the middle of the clearing, looking around. He cupped his hands around his mouth. "Tide! C'mon, we gotta go inside now!" He sighed and let his hands fall to his sides. "Where is she?"

Tide wiped a tear away.

"I'm coming, so shut up! Jeez!" She latched herself onto his arm. "Let's go! They're waiting, aren't they?" Ichigo let loose a small smile.

"Yeah. Let's go."

* * *

"Sit." Yoruichi said. Tide had discovered the cat's name when she had gotten tired of being called 'Mrs. Cat'. "I will now explain our plan of action."

Tide, sensing a long and boring discussion, took to playing with her swords. Ichigo gave her a look, to which she returned with one of her own.

"In other words, now that the gate's been opened, they're sure to beef-up security on the other side, making entry there impossible."

"So a frontal assault on the gate now would be fool-hardy." Ishida said. Yoruichi scoffed. "I wouldn't have advised that in the first place!" She turned her nose to the sky. "In any case, it's no longer possible for us to enter through the white road gate!"

"What about the other gates?" Chad asked. "It's a ten-day walk to the next one. We don't have that much time." Yoruichi responded. "But what choice do we have?" Ishida asked. Yoruichi turned her calculating gaze onto him.

"If the gates are blocked to us…Then we won't use the gates." She said slyly.

"What does he mean!"

"Elder…..Kukaku Shiba…..Do you know the whereabouts of such a person?"

Tide's head snapped up. "Oh! You mean-" The glare Yoruichi gave Tide made her rethink about what she was about to say. Yoruichi turned her attention back to the elder.

"Last I recall…that person was dwelling in the west Fugai District. As you may know, that one moves around a lot."

"Kukaku Shiba….." The mayor repeated. "Are you…thinking of going over the wall in that thing?" Ichigo cut in. "What thing?"

Whatever response he was waiting was interrupted by a loud noise.  
"Wha…what's that!"

"WHOA!"

A man skidded across the room, surprising everyone. "A GUY!"

"A HUMAN CANNONBALL!"

"LOOK OUT! IT'S A WILD BOAR!"

The man got up. "Ho, boy….Bonnie threw me again….Hey! How's it hanging, old man?" He did a salute. Tide was surprisingly quiet at the moment, staring at the man with a slightly angry and depressing look on her face.

"Ganju! Why you….." The elder yelled in anger. "What are you doing here? Go home!"

'Ganju' laughed. "Is that how you treat an old friend? Look, you're scaring your guests."

"YOU'RE SCARING THEM!"

"What?" Ganju looked at Ichigo. Tide had disappeared, no longer next to the substitute. Ichigo blinked. "What? What're you looking at?"

"What the…..What's a Soul Reaper doing here?"

* * *

Tide slammed against the wall, letting out a cry of pain and fury. "Get offa me!" She yelled, kneeing the guy in the stomach. He was lucky she didn't go lower, she thought as he slid back a few feet. "What's your deal, starting a fight with me!"

"You're a Soul Reaper, aren't ya!" The guy yelled, he flicked his hair back. "The boss man hates your type! So we'll get rid of ya!"

"SHUT UP!" Tide nailed the guy in the face, the sickening crack of his nose under her knuckles causing her to grimace. "I'm not a Soul Reaper, so keep your pants on, ya freaking weirdo!" She blocked another bunch. "GEEZ! WAIT! I know your boss, alright! I know him! I know Ganju!"

Guy stopped, blinking. "Huh? How do you-"

Tide smirked.

"SUDDEN NINJA ATTACK NUMBER ONE!"

It's not as epic as you would think.

Tide kicked Guy in the face, then dug her other knee in his stomach. "THAT'S WHAT YA GET!"

That was the moment Ichigo decided to join the fight in his own little special way.

Tide guessed that Ganju had barreled into her boyfriend, which caused her to dodge and unconsciously barrel into Guy herself. Orihime and Ishida both shouted Ichigo's name in shock. Guy quickly recomposed himself. He threw Tide off of his person and ran in front of Tide's travel buddies. He said, "Don't mess with the boss man." He hopped on his boar.

"If you try to help your friend, you'll have us to deal with!"

"They must be Ganju's thugs!" Ishida grit his teeth.

"Wow…..they….They're all…" Orihime blinked.

Tide sweatdropped. "What's with the boars?"

"Go on! Get out! Now! No Soul Reaper's gonna set foot in West Rukongai while I'm around!"

"Ow….."  
Tide blinked. "Oh, hey Ganju." She waved. Ganju spun around. "WHOA! TIDE!"

It was seconds before it took him to react. When he did, he ran at full speed onwards, towards Tide. He embraced her, crying rivers of joy. Tide's face was emotionless, shockingly.

"It's Tide-channn! How I've missed you!"

Meanwhile, Ichigo peeled his face off the ground to see Ganju hugging a stoic Tide. Said girl noticed this, and issued another wave. "Yo."

"GET OFF MY GIRLFRIEND!" Ichigo kicked poor Ganju in the face.

Tide let out a small tsk. "Yeah, I'll be inside."

* * *

She remembered when they first met.

_Tide groaned loudly. _

"_I. Can't. Believe. I. Got. LOST!" She yelled, grabbing her hair in frustration. She felt like going in a dark- like, pitch black- corner and just staying there. Forever._

"_I wonder if the mushrooms will accept me…."_

"_Why….Isn't it obvious! What if someone saw me like this? They'd send me back to Movie Village!" Some boy hiding behind a pole said. Tide sweatdropped. 'Soul Reaper these days….'_

"_Fool! You think an average person can see a Soul Reaper! A Soul Reaper is a spiritual body! It can only be seen by other spirits!" _

"_You look kinda crazy, chick. To other people, that is." Tide chimed in. the girl jumped in shock, and Tide realized she wore the same uniform that she herself had forced herself into this morning._

_Soul Reaper Guy- or SRG, blinked. "You can….see me?" SRG spun around to the girl. Now that Tide thought about it, she looked pretty familiar. "Should she be able to see me?"_

_Rukia stared at Tide, trembling subtly. Tide smirked. '_That's _who she is. Yeah, that's right. TREMBLEEEE! TREMBLE! Tremble for what you did, you little-'_

"_N-no! It's obvious she has some amount of- OI! WHERE DO YOU THINK-" _

_Tide looked back at Rukia. "Oh, I have something I need to do. Sorry to cut this conversation short. Bye! Late, SRG."_

"_What the….SRG! What the heck does that stand for?"_

_Later, she found out that he had been in her class this whole time. _

"Hey. Tide. Wake up. Tide."

Ichigo grit his teeth.

"WAKE UP!"

Tide smacked her forehead against Ichigo's, causing the two to wiggle in pain for a few minutes. When she got over the trauma, Tide rounded on Ichigo.

"What's the big idea!"

"You were sleeping!"

"It does happen, you know! You should know by now not to wake me up!" Tide rubbed her eyes. "What do you want?"

Ichigo looked away, scratching his head. "That guy, Ganju….it seemed like he knew you. Did he?"

Tide blinked stupidly. "You jealous or something?"  
Ichigo went on the defensive. "What! No! Not even! I just wanted to know, okay!"

"I'll tell you tomorrow! So just chillax, okay!" Tide tried to snuggle deeper into the nest of covers.

Ichigo knew that when Tide was sleepy, she was sleepy. And when she was sleepy, she didn't talk about _anything_. Getting her to even answer was a feat Ichigo was proud of. Sighing, he ran his hand through her dark blue hair.

He lifted his head. "I know how sappy this sounds, but you remember when we went to the fireworks? You have to, it was only about 2 days ago. We had just started out. You know, as a couple."

"_Cause baby you're a fireeeeeeworrkkkkk! C'mon show them whattttt your worthhhh! Make them go oh! Oh! Oh! You're gonna leave them going oh, oh, ohhhh!" Just as she was about to go into the next verse, she was knocked to the ground. "OW! Ichigo, what the hell!"_

_He dodged the attacks she dealt him. "Tide! Jeez, it was only to get you to stop singing. It was killing my ears." Tide scoffed. "Yeah, whatever. Anyway, where's everyone else?" Ichigo sighed. "No clue. We must be either late, or early." Tide nodded. "Let's go find them."_

_Just then, a couple from school walked pass them. The guy had his arm around the girl's shoulders, and they stopped so they could go into a laughing fit. When they were done, the boy bent down to kiss the girl before they walked away._

_Tide had been watching them as this went on, eyes soft. "Are all couples that….mushy?" She wrinkled her nose. "Kinda gross, huh?" She chuckled. "Um, anyway, let's-"_

_Ichigo looped his arm around her shoulders and bent down to kiss her on the cheek. "We'll never be like other couples." Tide's eyes widened. "It's because we're two people that aren't like others. A ninja and a Soul Reaper? You can't expect this relationship to be normal. So no worries, okay?" He straightened, a light blush dusting his cheeks. "….That's what I think, at least." _

_Tide smiled._

"…_.Yeah. No worries. Let's go find them, okay?"_

Ichigo smiled, now. "That was…the day, that I knew that…that I…" His smile slowly disappeared. "No worries, huh?"

* * *

"What? You're not going?" Ishida exclaimed. Tide hissed as she was woken by the yell.

"Quiet down! She'll wake up!" Ichigo shivered. "And you do not want to see that!"

"Who!"

"Tide! And I'm gonna wait for that guy here!"

"You….what are you talking about! Stop playing, hurry up!" Ishida tried to drag Ichigo out the door. "I refuse! He would think I ran away!"

"SO WHAT!"

Orihime peeked in. "Umm, Chad and I are ready…" Ishida whirled around. "Ah! Perfect timing, Inoue! Would you please convince this idiot to leave!"

"Who are you calling an idiot…."

_SCRATCH!  
_Shock.  
That was what Ichigo felt before he let out a scream that probably reached the Heavens.

Then he realized, as he withered on the ground. '_TIDE! SHE'S GONNA KILL ME FOR WAKING HER UP!'_

"Letting your anger get the best of you made you forget what we came here for? We're here to save Rukia! You shouldn't have forgotten that!"

Ichigo felt a bit guilty now, but still kept his eyes trained on the doorway.

"Now isn't the time for you to be picking meaningless fights. If you understand, then get ready!" The cat twitched when she found that Ichigo was ignoring her. "ANSWER ME!" She rammed into Ichigo's head.

Tide thundered in.

"Who. Woke. Me. UP."

Ichigo was pretty sure that everyone who could hear Tide- which, when he thought about it, could've been everyone, including the Soul Reapers in Soul Society- pointed at him.

"Wait….Tide, hold on…..AHHHHHH!"


	4. Family Trouble

_**If My Heart Was a Mansion**_

_Chapter 4_

_Family Trouble_

* * *

Tide grumbled, rubbing her tired eyes. "Freakin' baka. Waking me up….you're lucky I didn't rip your skull in two." Ichigo sighed, rubbing one of his many bumps. "I told you, Ishida-"

"I DON'T WANNA HEAR IT!" Tide swung her leg behind her and gracefully slammed her foot into the center of his back. "Stop blaming others for your mistakes, you Deformed Carrot!" Ichigo withered on the ground, seeming to have a spasm. "H-Hai, Tide. I deeply apologize for waking you up from your slumber." Tide nodded and helped him up, allowing Orihime the perfect chance to attempt to heal the boy. Soon, Tide caught wind of the conversation.

"Don't worry. Even though the address keeps on changing, the houses are always the same kind. I can tell with just one glance." Yoruichi glanced at Tide when she said this, much to the confusion of the others.

"Just one glance…."

"Yeah. Oh, I can already see it." She nodded her feline head to the right. "It's over there."

They're reactions were priceless.

"This…!"  
"This is!"

The house wasn't as Tide remembered, but it still felt like she belonged there. The house seemed tiny and ordinary, but the two muscular arms holding a sign that said, 'Shiba Kuukaku' kinda ruined that. She sighed, mashing her hands into fists. Time to face the music.

"Ah, it's different this time!"  
Everyone's faces clearly spoke the same question- 'It's different every time!'

Tide caught Ishida staring at the cannon. "I remember that," The ninja muttered to herself, heading for the back of the group.

"HOLD ON!"

"Who are you!"

"You're clothes are really weird! And one of them looks like a Shinigami!" Tide sighed as the twin giant's eyes landed on her. "L-Lady Tide!"  
"LADY!" The group yelled, alarmed. Yoruichi smirked. Tide gave them a look, causing them to sweat nervously and continue yelling at Ichigo and the rest.

"A bunch of suspicious people! We, Kogane-hiko and Shrugane-hiko, will definitely not let you pass!"

"Get out! Or else, you die here! Oh, except for you, Lady Tide." More sweat, and a comment from Ishida that caused Tide to ram her elbow into his face, cracking his glasses.

"Che, why is there guards again? Soul Society is such a troublesome place." Ichigo grumbled, starting to draw his weapon. One of the twins looked down. "Hm….? Yoru….Yoruichi-dono!"

And just like that, he let them in.

"I didn't think Yoruichi-dono and Lady Tide would be with you guys! Please forgive my rudeness!"  
"It's Tide. Not Lady, just, Tide." The girl mumbled, rubbing her arm. Ichigo glanced at the girl before answering. "It's okay. I didn't notice you guys first, so it's my fault too."

"Ha ha! You're very kind!" They reached the end of the stairs. "Please wait here a moment."

Tide shivered and inched away from the group. Had the air gotten colder?

Picking a random corner, she ran as fast as she could away from the rest. "Jeez, I can't do this!" She panicked, grabbing her hair. Everything was too familiar, too much like when _he _was here….

Should she go back? Face the group? Face them? Tide sank to the floor, sobbing. It was all too much.

He wasn't here.

He wasn't here.

So why was she so scared?  
She didn't have to face _him_. 2/3, that's all. He was gone, because of stupid Rukia.

God, she hated Rukia so much then.

Shakily standing, she started the trek back.

Ichigo was confused. Where was Tide? And what was this whole 'Lady Tide' thing? And how did those twins know her?

Whatever. He'd deal with that later. That Ganju guy had just stepped through the door, and things were about to get ugly.

Tide pressed her hand to the door, taking a deep breath. "They'll forgive you." She assured herself.

"STOP THIS RIGHT NOW!"

Oh. She was angry. Maybe now wasn't the best time.

"What on Earth has gotten into you two! You started fighting the minute you saw each other…kinda like…." She shook her head, seeming as to rid herself of bad memories. Ichigo rubbed his head. "Ouch….jumping out of nowhere with no warning at all….like brother like sister. Shoot, she's just as bad as Tide…" Ganju stammered out a protest. "But..but, onee-sama! It was him-!"

"YOU DARE TALK BACK TO ME!" The woman kicked her brother in the face. "Yeah, defiantly like Tide….."

"Yo, punk!" She grabbed his hair and brought his face to her level. "This is my home! If you don't like the way I run this place, you can get the hell out!"

"Uh…sorry…"

"Okay. As long as you get the point…" She released his hair. Ichigo looked at Ganju and whispered, "You're sister is scary."

"She really is…"

The door slid open.

"You should take it easy, next time." A voice chimed weakly.

For the two siblings, time stood still.

"Oh, Tide-san! We were worried!" Orihime beamed, smiling happily at the twitching girl. Tide nodded grimly, fixing her gaze on Kuukaku. Orihime's smile faltered, taking Tide's gaze on the women as one of mistrust, and decided to clear the air. "T-This is Shiba Kuukaku! She's going to help us get into the Soul Society! Isn't that great?"

Tide broke the stare that had developed, looking at the girl. "Sure, Inoue. Sure." Orihime wasn't satisfied. "A-And, Kuukaka-sama, this is-"

"I know who it is." She stated, eyes flashing dangerously. "I know exactly who it is."

And that was that.

"Alright! Everyone! Now….follow me this way…"

Tide felt like, for some reason, Kuukaku didn't include her in 'everyone', but she went along, anyway.

* * *

"Wow. It's so bright, even though we're underground. No electrical wiring in sight, too." Ishida commented. Tide sighed, knowing the answer.

"I planted some light vines between the walls and the ceiling." Kuukaku explained.

"Light vines….? Excuse me, is that a special plant of Soul Society?" Ishida asked.

He was ignored as Kuukaku ordered Ganju to open the door.

"Okay! You heard her, if you don't like the way she runs things you better leave." Ichigo told Ishida. _She told him that, too? _Tide thought bitterly.

"Opening door~~~! Leave it to me~~~!" Ganju singsonged.

Tide sighed, looking at her companion's reactions. The giant cannon was nothing new to her, and it didn't fail to disinterest her.

"What is that…?" Ichigo said in amazement. "So big…!" Orihime gasped, and Tide giggled. "That's what she said."

"I'm using this to send you into the city of Soul Society. From the sky!" Kuukaku pointed upwards.  
"THE SKY!"

"I'm Kuukaku Shiba…..first class fireworks expert in this place!"

Tide sighed.

"Fire…Fireworks expert?" Chad asked. Kuukaku grinned. "That's right! Koganu-hiko! Siroganu-hiko! Pull us up!"

"Yes ma'am!"

Tide sighed again, the familiar sensation of the floor seeming to move calming her. The ceiling opened, much to the shock of others. Tide drowning out their comments and shut her eyes.

They opened, however, when a ball was shoved into her hands. Kuukaku stared at her, a challenge in her eyes.

"Do it!" She commanded, narrowing her eyes. "Soul Reaper over there can't. But you remember, I know. So do it!"

Tide started at the ball in her hands, dazed. Truth was, she had dozed off, and her mind was kinda of hazy. Ganju panicked. "N-Nee-san! Let me do it! Tide must be out of practice! That's-"

"No," Tide shook her head. "I can do it. Truth is…." She rubbed the back of her head. "I fell asleep."

Silence.

Then,

"I HATE WHEN YOU DO THAT!" Kuukuka swung her leg at the ninja, who barely managed to dodge. "ARE MY LESSONS THAT BORING!"

"They were then, and they are now." Tide stuck her tongue out, riling the woman up even more. "I'll do it, so keep your bra in check."

"DON'T TELL ME-"

"I'M TELLING YOU, KEEP IT IN CHECK! OH, WAIT, THAT'S EVEN IF YOU HAVE ONE ON TODAY!"

Before Kuukuka had a chance to yell back a response, Tide began.

She did it fairly quickly-quicker than expected- and ignored her friends gasps, choosing to focus instead.

"This is….the cannonball." Kuukuka tapped the ball with her fist. "Hey, don't touch my ball." Tide instructed, and bristled when Kuukuka ignored her.

"Cannonball…."

"Listen up. If you think that the wall around the city is the only defense barrier, you're dead wrong. The wall is made by a special mineral that completely blocks out all spiritual energy. If you don't make a hole in the wall, you can't get in." Tide smirked, and decided to annoy the woman a bit.

"The mineral releases a special spiritual energy wave from the cut surfaces. In other words, in both above and under the ground, the city is covered by a sphere-shaped protection field!"

"DON'T DO THAT, YA LITTLE TWERP!" Kuukuka slammed her fists against the ball.

"Anyway, that's why we need this! My invention here creates a specially hardened Sprittron Shell. By providing spiritual energy to the core, you can create a cannonball strong enough to break through the protection field. I will then use the Kakaku Cannon to fire you up…and break you in with one clean strike. This may sound a little ridiculous, but there's no other way! That's all for now. Any questions!"

"Uh…I…"

"OKAY! Meeting's over. To the training room, you go!" The headstrong woman snapped. "Koganu-hiko! Sirogau-hiko! Take them there!" The twins grabbed at the team with no mercy, running to carry them off.

"You better train hard! If you can't do it tomorrow, you'll be blast into bits!"

"WHAT!"

Tide, sensing that she was no longer needed, handed the smoking ball to Ganju. "Okay, Ganju, you're done here. Go with them to the training room." Kuukaku

"Sis…. Are you really…going to help them?" Ganju asked timidly.

"What do you mean by that?"

Ganju tensed. "I won't do it! I'll never help a shinigami…I don't care what you said to bro!"

Tide froze on her way out.

"Ganju. I told you. Don't ever…**bring that up again**." Kuukuka glared over her shoulder.

"Sis.

"Go. You're done here. Don't let them see….that pathetic look of yours."

Ganju ran off.

Tide looked at the woman.

"When I left," Kuukaku tensed when Tide started talking. "I never wanted to see you guys again."

"Then why the hell are you-"

"The reason," Tide cut in. "Was because I thought his death was _my _fault. I was there. I could've stopped that shinigami. And I was so ashamed, that I thought that I didn't deserve to be near you both anymore. So I ran. And, I guess, the only reason I came on this stupid rescue mission was to say that I'm….I'm….I…..I'm _sorry_."

Tide _never _apologized. For anything.

The silence that followed slowly choked her, so to avoid death by silence, she turned to leave.

"It was never your fault."

Tide sucked in her breath.

"We thought that, on that day, we lost 2 siblings. We cried for days. Weeks. Months. You were-are. You _are _our sister, and if you ever think that you're not welcome in this house, then I'll freaking kill you."

Tide started to cry.

"When you came back today, you brought a lot of pain to Ganju and I. So how about we start over, and you come on," Kuukaku spread her arms out wide.

"and hug your sister."

And she did just that.  
"NEE-SANNNNNN!"

After _that_, Kuukaku decided that she and Tide should pray to Kaien. Tide nodded mutely, tensing visibly.

"Sorry, onii-san. I…. I'm going to help a Shinigami. Looks like Tide was one step ahead of me, though." Kuukaku shot the girl a look while pouring another cup of sake. "Like the one…who killed you. You've always loved the Shinigami, and at the end, died as one. But then….if you were still alive, and I didn't do anything for them, you would probably scold me, huh?"

Tide wiped a stray tear away. "Anyway," Kuukaku stood. "I think Tide needs to talk to you alone, onii-san." The busty woman ruffled her younger sister's hair, before walking away.

"H-Hey, Kaien-nii. I'm, uh, I'm back. But I can't stay, you know? Got things to do, people to save….." Tide looked up at the sky. "It's Rukia. The one we're saving? She's the one who…..who…." She sighed, bowing her head.

"I was there," Tide muttered. "I saw her stab you. She didn't have a reason, but she stabbed you! I remember thinking, _why? _Why would someone want to kill someone as great as Kaien-nii? And here I am, pretending that everything's all fine and dandy, but…..it's not."

She was quiet then, waiting. When nothing happened, she sighed. "Are you still angry, Kaien-nii? You said….that you were disappointed, because I had so much sadness in my eyes. But why the hell should I be happy!" Tide angrily stood and summoned her blades.

"I hate this! I hate saving Rukia, and I hate the people who want to, and I hate that I'm dating a Shinigami I really like, but most of all, _I hate you for leaving me_!"

There. She said it. Oh God, was he gonna come from the dead and murder her or something!

She bowed low. "Sorry, Kaien-nii. That was wrong of me. I don't hate you. I hate what happened. How you smiled when you died. How you said that everything would be okay."

Tide figured it was time to end this emotional journey she had just ventured through, and straightened.

"Bye, Kaien-nii."

She spun on her heel and ran towards the door.

Kuukaku sighed. "Jeez, that was difficult to watch, eh, Kaien-nii?"

The gusty wind blew, blowing her hair to the side a bit angrily. "Alright, alright! I told her not to feel guilty, what else do you want me to do?" The one armed woman sighed when no wind welcomed her. "Fine, whatever. Troublesome sister, that girl."

* * *

Tide slid the door to the training room open, nodding to a happy Orihime. "Hey, guys. Where's Ganju?"  
"Ah, nee-chan! Welcome back!" Ganju cooed, floating around his sister lovingly.  
"WAH! NEE-CHAN!"

Ichigo looked up. "WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL HER!"  
"YOU HEARD ME!"

"HOW ABOUT YOU SAY THAT AGAIN, YOU STUPID PERVERT!"

"ICHIGO! Shut up!" Tide hissed, slamming her fist into his mane of orange hair. "It's true! Ganju is my brother, so shut up and deal with it!" Ganju ran to embrace her. "Ahh, Tide-nee is defending meeeee!"

"DON'T TOUCH MEEEEEE!" Tide rammed her foot into his solar plexus. Ganju groaned and starting rolling on the floor, along with Ichigo. "Um…Boss…..Dinner's ready." One of Ganju's lackeys said.

"HEY! YOU GUYS! DINNER IS READY! Go eat! You must be hungry already!" Ganju called. Ishida blinked. "What do you mean?"  
"You won't get anything to eat elsewhere. People in the alley don't use their spiritual energy, so they don't get hungry." Ganju explained. Ishida nodded. "Oh, but, Kurosaki still isn't…"

"Don't worry about me. You guys go first. I'll go after I'm done." Ichigo spoke up, focused on the ball in his hands. Ishida turned, looking back. "If you says so….we'll go first. Inoue, are you coming?" Orihime turned with a smile. "Ah! I'm not hungry. You two go first, I'll stay with Kurosaki-kun."

Orihime's stomach made a weird gurgling sound.

"Uh….I was kidding! I'm only a little hungry." Orihime waved her hands. "Inoue." Orihime looked over to her crush. "Go with them. I don't mind." Inoue grew even more flustered. "It…it's not just that! I just want to practice some more! I'm not that hungry…."

"Inoue. Please."

The girl's smile fell.

_The only person…that Kurosaki-kun would really want to be here….is already eating…how can she do that to Kurosaki-kun?  
_"Oh! Ok, then! Since you put it that way, I'll be going. I'm going to eat!" She called to Ishida.

"Ah..hey! Inoue…"

"Ishida-kun! Sado-kun! Come, too!"

"Sure…."

Ganju had been watching on silently, finding himself interested. Ichigo noticed his stare as he practiced. "What are you looking at?" He barked, looking ahead. Ganju shifted into a more comfortable position. "I can look wherever I want."  
"You're annoying. Get lost." Ganju scoffed. "Whatever." Ichigo glanced at him. "Che. Fine."

More pants. Before,

"Where's Tide?" Ganju stopped reading his book. "What? You wanna know where my sis is? Why?"

"Just tell me."

"Tsk. She's been eating way before your friends left, probably. Girl loves food." Ichigo nodded. "Yeah, I know." He muttered. '_I expected that….but I kinda wanted her here instead of that monkey over there. Even Orihime shows more affection than Tide. Tsk, guess you just can't come between that girl and her food.'_

Ichigo twitched. "BE QUIET! AND GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!" He chucked the ball at Tide's brother- which he still couldn't get over.

"You're trying pretty hard. Is she important? The Shinigami that you're trying to rescue?" Ganju spun the ball like a basketball while he spoke the question. "You can say that," Ichigo replied, sweating heavily. Ganju blinked. "Huh?" Ichigo snatched the ball back. "Give me it." Ganju made a little sound in the back of his throat.

"Did you make a promise to save her or something?"

"No."

"Then you must be saving her for some huge cash reward!"

"We use different money in our world, baka."

Ganju blinked. "Then what? She your girlfriend or something?" Ichigo growled. "Hell no! I already have a girlfriend!" He yelled, knowing that if he just blew this off, Tide would find out and kill him. "What!" Ganju let out a bark of laughter. "Ha! Someone likes _you_!"

Ichigo smirked.

"Yeah. _You're sister_."

The following few minutes consisted of Ganju attacking Ichigo, and a full blown battle ensuing.

After explaining why Ichigo was so set on saving Rukia, Ganju decided to help the kid.

After he left, Ichigo tried out Ganju's advice. But it wasn't that easy. And somehow, his mind wandered off to Tide.

* * *

_It had been a few weeks since Ichigo had met Tide, and the two had become pretty close in that short time. Something about the girl intrigued him, and he found himself craving to find out more about her. And when he found out as much as she would tell him, it was just a matter of wanting to be with her._

_It was a rainy day when Ichigo decided to make his move. But, as always, Tide was one step ahead on him._

"_You're face. I like that crap." Tide said, pointing a finger at Ichigo's face. He was beyond surprised, and blushed hotly. _

"_W-What the hell! You don't just blurt that out!" He yelled, getting in close. Tide scowled. "Yeah, whatever. I got things to do, so I'm gonna take off."_

_That was when Ichigo, seeing her turn to the door, grabbed her wrist and pulled her in close. "If you like my face that much, you should probably go out with me to see it some more." He said. Before he had a chance to ask himself exactly what the heck he was doing, he swopped down and went to the kill._

_Kissing Tide was better than he expected, and it made him want to memorize every part of her. But right then, he could settle for her lips, and slid his hands down to settle on her waist. Tide seemed pleased with running her fingers through his hair, and wrapping an arm around his neck._

_But, alas, the need to breath was bearing down on them, and they pulled apart, resting their foreheads against the other's._

"_I…think…that can be…arranged." Tide smirked, and leaned in again._

_Maybe it was a bit soon. They had just met each other, and now they were dating? But, Ichigo couldn't find himself caring about anything other than her lips, and how everything felt so amazing awesome right then that he could kill whoever interrupted them._

_It was that great._

* * *

Ishida dabbed his mouth with his napkin. "I'm full." Chad looked over to him and said, "Ishida. You eat kind of slow…" Ishida paused in his dabbing. "S-So what! I was brought up this way."

"How the heck can you be full!" Tide swallowed her food before asking the Quincy. "I'm still hungry."

"How can you still be hungry! You were here hours before us!" Ishida exclaimed, seeing Tide shrug before shoving more rice into her mouth.

"Ah…Inoue-san, you have so much left. Are you full already?" Orihime smiled a bit weakly. "Y-Yup! I'm totally full!"

"GUUUU!"

Tide raised an eyebrow. "You're stomach sounds pissed. Maybe you should see if that healing nacho of yours is edible." Ishida furrowed his brow. "That's getting old, Tide." He was ignored.

"I've been thinking. We need code names for when we go to Soul Society. So, okay, Orihime, you can be, 'Nacho Healer'. Chad, 'Turbo Blaster'. And, Ishida, 'Emo Child'. Oh, and I'm 'Da Best Freakin' Ninja-Soul Reaper-Gal'. Hmmm, and of course, Ichigo is...'Deformed Carrot'!"

"NO! I DON'T AGREE! EMO CHILD! WHAT!"

"HUSH HUSH, EMO CHILD! THERE IS NO ROOM FOR YOUR SELFISHNESS IN THE MATTER! Oh, Orihime, aren't you still hungry?"

Orihime laughed as she punched her gurgling stomach. "S-See? I'm totally full….." Tide shrugged and reached to steal some of Orihime's food. You know, since she didn't want it and all.

"The…the truth is, I want to leave some for Kurosaki-kun…"

"I see….speaking of Kurosaki, he's still not done yet."

Tide was pretty sure they could just make another plate for Ichigo, but she shrugged and chose to let them continue their conversation.

And suddenly, this huge spiritual pressure crashed down on them. "Ohhhh, that's not good." Tide chimed, and then continued onto Orihime's sushi.

Tide sighed, seeing them all run to the room where Ichigo was practicing. "I guess I could bring the food with me… That's a lot of food, though. Meh, I'll just bring that…and that….oh, and that too….YOSH! I'm coming, Ichi- NOOOOO! NOT THE SUSHI!" Tide bent down to desperately apply the five-second-rule to the pile of sushi on the floor.

She only stopped when she smelled smoke.  
"WHOA! IS MORE FOOD COOKING! MAYBE IT'S SUSHI! Oh, but you don't cook sushi. Meh, food is food." She shrugged and ran out of the dining area.

"I did it!" Ichigo beamed, smiling brightly. He swung his head around, looking for someone. '_Where's Tide…?'_

"Oh…Alright, Kurosaki-kun!"

"Yeah! YEAH!"

The cannonball began to crack.

"Oi, Ichigo!" Tide called after swallowing some purpleish meat. "Good job and all, but you should probably focus."

"YOU IDIOT! DON'T LOOSE YOUR CONCENTRATION!"

"Huh?" Ichigo asked dumbly, before the cracks spread. "Nee-san ish gonna kish yish." Tide said around another mouthful.

"Didn't I say, 'It would explode if you loose your focus?'? SPEAK! DIDN'T I!" Kuukaku kicked Ichigo's head as he lay on the floor.

"Yes…you specifically warned us not to…."

"SO YOU DID IT ON PURPOSE!"

Ganju laughed. "Yeah! It's all your- GAH!" Kuukaku smashed her fist into Ganju's head. "You too, idiot!"

"No…no way!"

"Yes way!"

" Ha ha ha! Sucker!"

"Ouch! Ouch! Sorry!"


	5. Hey, Soul Sister

_**If My Heart Was a Mansion**_

_Hey, Soul Sister_

* * *

Tide nudged Kuukaku. "Oi, are you really okay with this?" She asked her older sister, raising an eyebrow. Kuukaku sighed and slung an arm around her sister's shoulders.

"What? With my sister dating a shinigami, or that she's going back into a hell hole called Soul Society? Or that she's saving one?" The one armed female inquired, looking ahead. "Both, I suppose." Tide said nervously. "You get to choose whoever you wanna be with, Tide, I can't get in the way of that. But you going back…..after all that's happened, it's not a good idea. And saving one? Your choice, little one. I can't stop you." Kuukaku looked at her sister fondly. "Look at you. You're all grown up. And I missed all of it. That's why, after all of this, I want you to come home. Stay with Ganju and I for a while."

Tide grinned. "Yeah. I can do that."

Kuukaku laughed. "Of course you can! I would've dragged you back if I had to!" Then, her gaze softened. "Have you talked to….you know who?"

Tide sucked in a breath. "….No. He hasn't talked to me since….that night. He's waiting, I know it. I'll need him, so I'll have to confront him sometime."  
"How about now?" Kuukaku suggested. "No better time than the present. And, you'll need to look like a Shinigami. You can't go around, prancing in your ninja form."

"I know!" Tide grunted. "But what can I do? He won't let me in!"

Kuukaku looked at her younger sister with a steady gaze.

"Then make him."

Then, she stood and walked upstairs.

Tide groaned. "Worth a shot."

'…_.Helllooooooo?'_

Nothing.

'_Oi! Where are you?'_

Zilch.

'_ANSWER ME, DAMN IT!'_

Nada.

'_AXEL!'_

'_**Well well well. It's about time, Tide.'**_

Tide grinned, spinning around to stare at the man that had been behind her. He had spiky white hair, pale skin, and wore a vest with a camouflage shirt underneath, with faded blue skinny jeans. His three ear rings jingled as he circled Tide.

'_**Haven't seen you in a while. It's about time you came crying for me.' **_Axel smirked, ruffling Tide's hair. Tide swatted his hand away while taking in the scenery.

Tide's inner world was….gothic, to say the least. It was dark and gloomy, and swords stuck out of the ground. It was clearly a battlefield, with dried blood and smoke rising from the ground. And it was raining heavily.

'_Why is it that whenever I come here, it's raining?' _Tide asked, looking at Axel. He sighed. '_**It's always raining, ever since that day…and even before. It's really annoying, considering that I'm fire and everything.' **_He shrugged. Tide felt guilt rise up in her.

'_Sorry about that.'_

'…_**.What are you here for, Tide?'**_

'_I'm going back. Back to Soul Society, and I need you're power.'_

'_**No. It's stupid, going back there. You'll-'**_

'_I'm not asking!' _Tide hissed, barring her teeth. _'I'm telling you. Give me my Shinigami form back.' _

Axel stared at me.

'_**Okay.'**_

Tide smiled as she felt the familiar heat of Axel flowing throughout her. She opened her eyes to find herself back in the training room. Ichigo walked in, scanning the room.

"Oi, Tide, we're- TIDE!"

"Hum? What is it, Ichigo?"

"YOU'RE ON FIRE!"

"Yeah. It's my Zanpukto, Axel. He's a fire type. It doesn't hurt, so chillax."

"MY GIRLFRIEND'S ON FIRE, AND YOU EXPECT ME TO RELAX!?"

"I'll put it out! Jeez, you act like you were the one on fire…." Tide stood, twirling Axel around.

"That's a…Zanpukto?" Ichigo asked, looking at Axel.

Tide smirked. Axel was a large golden scythe, the pole black, and the actual blade gold. There were red swirls on it, and when she twirled it, it looked like flames dancing. "Where's the sheath?" Ichigo asked.

Tide's smirk grew wider as she let the scythe fall to the ground. It disappeared in a burst of flames.

Ichigo blinked before frowning. "I was coming in here to tell you that we were about to leave…but we need to talk."

Tide frowned, also. "About what?" She asked, leaning against a wall. Ichigo advanced towards her. "You had this whole life that I knew nothing about." He started, stopping a good distance away from her. "You never hinted, you never talked about it, even after you met me. Did you…." Ichigo bowed his head. "Did you even think about telling me?"

Tide blinked. "I thought…you wouldn't like me anymore if you knew the truth. That I had a family that's dead, of all things, that I'm full of lies, and I didn't want you to be tangled up in them." Ichigo looked up, gritting his teeth.

"I don't care about that, and I wouldn't have then!" He hissed, making his way towards him. Tide narrowed her eyes. "How was I supposed to know?" She defended herself.

"If you would've told me-"

"It was to protect you!" Tide intercepted. "I couldn't have you snooping around- there's still so much about me that you don't need to know!" Ichigo suddenly grabbed her shoulders.

"When you love someone, none of that matters!" He yelled, leaning in close. Tide blushed. "L…Love?" Ichigo scowled.

"I said it, okay? I love you, Shiba Tide, and I don't care if your my worst enemy, because I'll keep on loving you. And that's why it hurts when you don't tell me stuff like this, because I love you. So…uh…."

Tide smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck. She leaned in, until her lips were hovering under his (Yeah, she's that short.)

"Hey, Ichigo?"

"Y-Yeah?"

"I love you too."

Ichigo took matters into his own hands and kissed her first.

* * *

"Good. Everyone is here." Yoruichi said as a close knit Tide and Ichigo walked through the door. Orihime's happy smile faltered when she saw how the two were standing. Tide had both arms under Ichigo's right one, looking to be joined at the hip. Ichigo had a small smile on his face as he gazed down at Tide, who had a huge one on hers.

Ichigo noticed Yoruichi's crooked tail. "Yoruichi-san, why is your tail in a zigzag shape all of a sudden?" He asked, pointing at the said appendage.

"_**You…got a problem with that?**_" The feline asked, and Ichigo broke out into a cold sweat. "Uh…no…It's as pretty as ever."

Tide looked around as Ishida came over to whisper in Ichigo's ear. Speaking of ears, Tide's were still ringing. Ichigo had said he _loved her_. Her! Tide! Deformed Carrot and Tide, what an unlikely pair.

Kuukaku nodded at her sister. Tide nodded back, confirming her sister's unspoken question. Kuukaku looked at Ichigo. "Hey! Where's Ganju?"

"Don't know, he was reading something downstairs." He answered, right before a strong call to hold on rang through the air.

Tide looked over to the newly arrived Ganju, frowned as she saw his attire. "Not that stupid outfit…." Ganju panted while pointing at himself. "The heroes…always arrive a little later!" Ichigo narrowed his eyes. "…What are you wearing?" He asked. Ganju grinned again. "This is Ganju's special battle suit!"

"Not the battle suit…." Tide groaned.

Ganju ignored her. "Cool, huh? No matter how you beg, I won't let you try it on, you sucker!" Ichigo snorted. "Battle suit? What for? Aren't you just here to bid farewell?"

It happened so fast, Tide didn't even have time to blink.

Ganju got in Ichigo's face and grabbed his collar.

"My nii-chan….was killed in cold blood by a Shinigami!"

Tide winced, looking away as Ichigo's gaze flickered to her.

Kuukaku made a move to stop Ganju. "Ganju, shut…!"

"Sis, don't interrupt me, just listen!" Ganju yelled, and Kuukaku backed off, surprised. He looked back at Ichigo.

"My nii-san was a genius. He passed the Shinigami Academy entrance exam in one try. His sprit-energy level was Level 6, at par with the vice-captain of the 13th division. Then he finished the 6 years worth of curriculum in just two years and became an official Shinigami. Five years after, he became a Vice Captain.

"But then he was killed! Betrayed by his Shinigami partner!" Ichigo stared, shocked.

Ganju continued. "I was young, and I don't know all the details, but, there are three things I will never forget!"

"The cold eyes of the Shinigami that brought my dying big brother back…the smiling face that Shinigami made when talking to my brother….and Tide, crying her eyes out at seeing her nii-chan dead! I'll never forgive that Shinigami for making my nee-chan cry! That was the reason why Tide left, and I'll never forgive that Shinigami!"

Ichigo looked over to Tide again. "W-What..?"

Ganju wasn't done. "I don't know why….but not once did my big brother speak out of hatred against Shinigami! I want to know…the reason why he never hated them! The reason why he believed in Shinigami even in death!" Ganju grabbed Ichigo collar. "You're different from the other Shinigami! I can feel it! If I go with you, I know I will discover the reasons! So I will…lend you a hand on this one! I will see with my own eyes…what Shinigami are like!"

Tide sunk to the ground, shivering, ignoring the rest.

_Smiling_

_Smiling_

_He's always_

_Smiling_

_Blood _

_Meets_

_Ground_

_When_

_Did _

_I _

_Start_

_Crying?  
_

"TIDE!"

"What happened!?"

"She's having a panic attack!"

"NEE-CHAN!"

"Oi, TIDE!"


	6. Someone To Save Me

_**If My Heart Was a Mansion**_

_Someone To Save Me_

* * *

_The nerve!_

They LEFT her! All of them-even Inoue! Just up and left! Is this the way they treat her- how _Ichigo _treats her!?

Kuukaku sighed, watching her angry sister gather her stuff. "Oi, oi! I said I'll send you there, and I will, so just relax!" She barked, causing Tide to swing her head in her direction. "How could they just leave like that!?" The blue headed girl sniffed, shutting her eyes. "How could _he _leave me?" She whispered. Kuukaku's eyes softened.

"He just wanted to protect you," She told her younger sister. "That's all." Tide shook her head. "Let's just leave…." She muttered, slinging her bag over her shoulder.

Kukkaku smirked, hearing her sister mumble something under her breathe.

"_Ichigo, your ass is grass."_

Kuukaku had no doubt Tide would stick to her word, too.

* * *

Tide grinned, landing neatly on the ground. "Soul Society sure has gotten boring, eh, Kaien-nii?" She snorted, looking around.

"Halt, intruder."

_Ohhhhhh snap._

Tide stopped in her tracks, breaking out into a cold sweat. "Turn and state your name." The Shinigami behind her ordered, and the sound on her weapon being unsheathed sounded. Slowly, Tide did just that.

Tide breathed a huge sigh of relief. "Oh, thank GOD! I thought it was someone I _knew_!"

The girl frowned. "I'm going to escort you to my Captain, and you will-" Tide frowned. "Oi, oi, hold up. Maybe you should tell me your name before you start ordering me around."

Her frown deepened. She had long black hair that reached her mid back that went nicely with her violet eyes. She had freckles littering her pale skin, and Tide wondered if she was actually a red head. "…..Matsumoto Aso, 3rd seat of Squad 6." Tide grinned. _Bya-kun…._

"Ah, I see. Rangiku is your sister, neh?" Tide giggled. Aso's eyes widened. "How do you…" The girl shook her head. "No, never mind. Enough talk. Come with me, or I will be forced to kill you." Aso's eyes narrowed.

Tide smirked. "I'm not coming, so just kill me. Or, more like," Tide's eyes flashed dangerously.

"You can try."

Aso's eyes widened in anger. "Why, you!"

And she vanished.  
Tide maintained her smirk as she vanished, also, appearing on a rooftop. "You're so slow!" The ninja whined, holding her hand out. Aso growled, appearing back on the ground. She bent down for another attack. Tide faked a hurt look. "Aso-chan!" She chimed. "Why, I do believe it's my turn!" She let loose a laugh. "Oh, no worries, I won't hurt you _too _bad!"

Aso gasped as flames surrounded Tide. "My name is Shiba Tide!"

The flames dispersed, revealing a standing Tide. In her hand was a golden scythe that still glowed with fire. Tide's smirk grew even more.

"And I'll be the one to defeat you."

Aso barely had time to block as Tide came at her. Laughing, Tide jumped away, disappearing high in the air. Aso shrieked, feeling a burst of pain on her lower back. Tide giggled again.

Aso gritted her teeth, twisting around to swing her blade at…..air. Tide had disappeared again.  
"Aso-chan! You won't win without releasing your little blade you have there!"  
"Don't call me that!" Aso growled, but lifted her sword to the sky, anyway.

"_Let's go,_" Aso said, narrowing her eyes in concentration.

"_Oniyuri!_"

Tide stiffened, frowning. "An air type….? Her blade means 'Tiger Lily'….does that mean anything prior to her attacks? I know there's a catch…."

The dust cleared only to reveal a wild tornado. Tigers popped in and out of it, and Aso rose to the top. "_Tora no ikari_!" (Tiger's Wrath)

Tide stared evenly as gusts of winds turned into tigers and flew at her. She opened her mouth, chanting.

"_Jigoku no honoo_." (Hell's Flames)

Aso shook as Tide's flames cut through her tigers and hurled towards her.

'_She didn't even release her Zanpukto!' _Aso thought, fear gripping her in its clutches. '_She's so powerful….wait, did she say Shiba?! As in, Shiba Kaien?' _

The flames cut into her chest and stomach, barely missing her heart. The tornado stopped completely, Aso falling to the ground.

Tide walked over to the fallen Shinigami, emotionless. She let Axel disappear into flames, and stared down at the girl. "I'm sorry, Matsumoto Aso. It seems…that you didn't deserve to see an attack as powerful as mine. For a third seat…." Tide started walking away.

"You were no fun."

Half an hour later, Renji Abarai would stop on his way to a meeting to see one of his closest friends lying on the ground, half dead.

"Aso…? ASO!"

Tide sighed, rounding a corner. "These guys don't know when to stop," She hissed, looking around. "If I could find his division…."

"Hey! An intruder!"

Tide grinned with malice. _Perfect. _

The kid shivered, seeing the grin. "C-C-Come with me, to see Captain Ukitake! As 3rd seat Kotetsu Kiyone, I order you to stop!"

"You're part of Uki-chan's division!?" Tide smiled. Kiyone glared at Tide. "U-Uki-chan!? You are not permitted to address the Captain so rudely!" She unsheathed her sword. "I will now condemn you!"

Tide sweatdropped. "Thanks for the heads up. Tsk, I know where I am now, so you can leave." Kiyone let out a fierce cry as she lurched forward. Tide rolled her eyes, setting her palm on the girl's forehead and propelling herself over her, shunpoing away.

Grinning, she looked inside the Captain's office. "U-ki-ta-ke-channnnnn!" She chimed, laughing. The white haired man looked up, surprised. "W-What!?" His eyes grew wide in realization.

"T-Tide-chan!?"

* * *

Renji frowned, looking down at his friend. She still hadn't shown signs of waking, causing Renji to become overcome with panic. '_Aso….I'll find whoever did this….I swear.' _

"R….Renji….?"

The red head gasped, looking at the blinking girl. "W….Where am I?" She asked. Renji grinned. "Division 4 barracks! You don't know how happy I am to see you awake- I swear, I'll find whoever did this, and-"

"No!" Aso yelled, coughing after. Renji blinked in confusion. "But…..Aso…." The black haired girl looked at her best friend.  
"Her name….her name….S….Shiba Tide!"

And she passed out.

But Renji understood perfectly.

* * *

Ichigo sighed, looking ahead. "She's here," He whispered. Ganju looked at him. "Oh, Tide-nee! Great, we should find her! She's can help-"

"Tide's not fighting _any one_!" Ichigo yelled, whirling around to face Ganju. "Not if I have a say in it! I don't care if she kicks my ass- I'm not gonna put her in danger like that!"

Ganju grunted. "You think I like seeing her in pain!? But I know that you can't stop Tide from doing these things, so you just have to except her! You should have known the moment you met her that she would get into a shit load of trouble, so just shut up and help her overcome it!"

Ichigo clenched his fists. "I'll protect her." He vowed.

"I swear it on my soul."

* * *

**_Wowwww. That was short. How'd you like that little view on Tide's past life? And her powers- prettttttyyyy epic! _**


	7. A Cut's Memories

_**If My Heart Was a Mansion**_

_A Cut's Memories_

_**Authors Note:**_

_**Hi hi! How's it going? Ehhh? **_

…_**.Anyway.**_

_**In this chapter, you'll find that Tide has more ties within the Soul Society then you'd think. I wrote this note because I just wanted to sayyyy….**_

_**Nothing, really. Just because I haven't really communicated with my viewers and such for a while. **_

_**Whatever!**_

_**On with the story!**_

_**OH WAIT!**_

_**The next few chapters will not really follow the story line, so beware~~~**_

* * *

Tide ducked, dodging a soul reaper's sword with fluid grace. She came back up quickly, spinning around to face the man's back before swinging her weapon, marking him with a deep red gash. She turned to meet another opponent, and was once again back to fighting.

"Who are you!?" This one was a girl, with dark red hair. She angrily sliced at Tide, who smirked and caught the blade with her hands. Without answering the question, Tide quickly rid the girl of her sword and slammed her fist into the shocked reaper's face.

Tide sighed, dismissing her zanpukto. "Jeez, it's like they're all targeting me." She grunted, narrowing her eyes. She shook the leftover flames off of herself. "I should find Ichigo." She tapped her chin in thought. "This is his rescue mission, after all. He wouldn't like it if I stole his thunder." She grinned. "And it's _her _we're talking about….I should kill her myself." Tide shook her head sadly. "But then Ichigo might hate me…"

_**Maybe we should just go ahead of them and stall. **_Axel suggested in her mind. Tide nodded.

_That sounds good. _She nodded once again before running off.

After a few moments of silent running, Axel spoke again.

_**You're worried about him, aren't you?**_

_He's kinda my boyfriend. I have a right to be worried._

_**He'll be fine. **_

…_Yeah. I know._

After that, Axel didn't seem to want to talk anymore. Tide sighed, trying to speed up. _If Kaien-nee were here…he would tell me to run even faster. _She let out a dry bout of laughter. _I'm so sick of thinking of Kaien-nee like this…_ She shook her head, running faster, trying to push herself to the limit. _Just remember what Ukitake-san said…_

_**It'll be fine, Tide. **_

_Yeah._

So Tide forgot about her limits and ran even faster, not even noticing that she was straying from Rukia's holding grounds.

She was running.

To Ichigo.

And she knew that she wouldn't stop until she got to him.

"Stop!" A group of soul reapers tried to block her path. Tide growled, hands suddenly bursting into flames.

"_GET OUTTA MY WAY!_"

* * *

Hanatarou looked down nervously. "E-Excuse me, Kurosaki-san…" Ichigo looked over his shoulder at the mousy 4th squad shinigami. "What?" He asked, surprised that he had spoken. Hanatarou nervously glanced at Ganju before looking back at Ichigo. "Didn't you come here to save Rukia-san? Why a-are we looking for someone else?"

Ichigo sighed, slowing his fast pace to a walk before answering. "Because she's very special to me, the person that I'm looking for. The execution isn't for days, and she could get hurt." Ganju barged in on the conversation.

"Oi! Are you saying that Tide-nee can't defend herself!? Cause I'm telling you right now that you're wrong! When Tide-nee was in the Soul Society, she had power even greater that your Head Captain!" Both Ichigo's and Hanatarou's eyes widened. "W-What!?" They gasped out. Hanatarou protested. "B-But that's impossible!"  
Ganju shook his head. "Tide-nee didn't tell you probably because she thought you would rely on her too much. If she wanted, she could save this Rukia girl all by herself!" Ichigo clenched his hands into fists, and after a moment, started running again.

"Hey! Didn't you hear me!? Is all that blood you loss messing with you hearing abilities or something!?" Ganju yelled.

Ichigo growled at Ganju. "Shut up!" He shouted. "I don't care how strong she is, she's still Tide, and I'm still gonna protect her!"

Back when Urahara had thrown him into that hole and he almost became a hollow, the only thing he could seem to hear was Tide's voice. It was weird, because he kept wondering why that was. They hadn't been together for that long, but he had gone to the same middle school she had. Now that he thought about it, learning about her life here in the Soul Society, he didn't really know anything about her. And whenever he thought about that, it made his chest hurt for some reason.

So he would keep running. Because, when you love someone, you'll keep running until you can get to where they are.

He mentally facepalmed himself. What, was he in some kind of soap opera or something!?

* * *

Tide suddenly sneezed loudly, throwing her head back and waving her arms around as she performed the action. _**All that, huh. **_Axel laughed inside her head. Sniffing, she wiped away leftover tears in her eyes. _Shut up. That really hurt. _She looked around. "Who's talking about me!?"

"…T…Tide!?"

Tide yelped. "GAK!" She spun around widely, swinging her arms around. "WHO SAID THAT!?"

"Turn around." The voice ordered, and Tide did so.

_Ohhh. A Captain._

_**From Squad 0, too.**_ Axel added.

Tide almost laughed. Squad 0. Oh, the irony. Squad 0, a squad even the Head Captain had no idea about. They were stronger than Soul Society combined, and that was exactly why Soul Society remained in the dark.

Tide had been on her way to the Captain's exam when she got the news.

_Flashback_

_Tide looked at the piece of paper in her hands blankly. Back then, her hair had been to her hips, and she was taller, but those were the only changes that were actually noticeable. _

_Right now, she was home, about to leave to take the Captain's exams. The previous captain of Squad 0, Captain Keizo Okada- or Kei, as he had insisted his squad call him- had died in battle years ago, and Tide had been chosen to take the test to become the next captain. It wasn't a surprise, though. She was Vice Captain, after all. _

"_Tide-nee!" A voice called for her. Tide turned, smiling. "Ah, Shiro-kun!" She grinned at the short white haired boy, ruffling his hair. The young shinigami frowned. "I told you to stop calling me that, Tide-nee." _

_Tide faked frowned. "And I told you to call me Vice Captain Shiba, but we don't always get what we want."_

_The boy panicked. "N-No! I- I meant, Tide-chan! No! Tide-san! No! Vice Captain Tide!? No-"_

_His panicking was intruppted by Tide's laughter. "Just kidding, Shiro-kun!" She assured him. "Anyway, what can I help you with? I thought they were transferring you to Squad 10 in Soul Society?"  
The young shinigami nodded. "I…have to tell you something….Tide-nee, Kaien Shiba…"_

_Tide blinked. "What?" She asked. "Kaine-nee is in Soul Society, right?" She furrowed her brow. "Right!?" _

_He opened his mouth once again. "Look, I just thought I should be the one to tell you that-"Tide frowned as a hell butterfly whispered in his ear, interrupting what he was about to say. The white haired boy sighed, waving his hand at the butterfly. "I have to go. I'll visit you, Tide-nee…..please be careful." The young soul reaper's nervously looked up at Tide. Then, nodding, he disappeared from sight._

_Tide sighed, shutting her door. Whatever he had wanted to say was probably unimportant. "Oi, nee-sannnnn! I've decided to leave a bit later, if that's okay with you."_

"_Yeah yeah, whatever- just get over here and taste this for me, ehh? I'm trying to learn how to cook for when Kaien-nee returns."_

_Tide giggled. "I'm afraid for him…and for me, as the taste tester." Still shaking a bit from laughter, she made her way to the kitchen._

_This was it. This was how Tide wanted to spend the rest of her life. Here, in Soul Society, sneaking visits to see Kaien in the 13 Court Squads, and seeing her other siblings on the weekends. And now, she may even become a captain of Squad 0, the strongest band of shinigami out there. _

_Yes. This was perfect._

_**LaTeR…**_

"_Ok! I'm leaving now!" Tide called, smiling at Ganju. Her older sister had left early to hang out with her friends from Soul Society. Ganju smiled happily back. "Good luck out there, Tide-nee!" He cheered._

_Tide laughed. "Luck's got nothing on me! I'll ace this test with both hands behind my back!" She gave a thumbs up as she said this. Ganju gasped. "Whoa! Then how'd you do your attacks!?" He panicked. Tide panicked, also. "CRAP! I DIDN'T THINK OF THAT! Okay, just forget about it! Forget I said anything!" She looked down at her watch. "AHHHH! Imma be late! Why would you hold me up like this, Ganju-chan!?"_

"_Ah! I'm sorry, Tide-n….nee…." Ganju's face paled as Tide opened the door. Tide blinked. "Hm? What is it?" She asked, turning herself._

_The first thing she noticed was the figure that was standing. She had black hair, with one strand falling in between her eyes. Her violet eyes were cold as she stared evenly at Tide and her brother. Then, Tide looked down, and her heart stopped._

"_K…."_

_She couldn't breathe._

"_Ka…."  
Her eyes glistened with tears she couldn't seem to shed._

"_Kai…"_

_Her hands clenched into fists._

"_Why….why….."_

_Ganju started sobbing._

"_KAIEN-NIIIIIIIIIIIIII!"_

_That's when the only thing Tide saw was the soul reaper, her big brother, lying on the ground…_

_Dead._

"_WHO DID THIS!?" _

_Tide didn't care if she was late for the Captain's meeting. She didn't care if she was scaring her poor brother even more. _

_Because Kaien had been killed._

_And no one should be able to do that. _

_Because Ganju was crying._

_And no one made her little brother cry._

_Because when her nee-san got home, she would probably crumble and become a crying mess, too._

_So Tide had to stay strong. _

_But….first…_

"_I….said….who...DID THIS!?" She roared, rearing on the motionless soul reaper. She wasn't in Squad 0, so Tide didn't know her._

"…_.Rukia Kuchiki." _

_Tide gritted her teeth._

"…_.Me." _

_After that…after that, Tide couldn't even see anything but red._

_Flashback End_

Rukia obviously hadn't died back then. Someone must have restrained Tide.

But, damn it. The little midget deserved it.

"Is it really you….Vice Captain Shiba?"

He had short spiky blonde hair that blew in the wind, and it flew out of his dark brown eyes. He had freckles that were scattered around his face, giving him a handsomely boyish look. If Tide wasn't taken, she would have totally put the moves on him. That, and it was kind of awkward.

Considering who he was.

He took a step forward. "It's me….you might not recognize me, but it's-"

Tide spoke up, staring directly into his eyes. "Darks Naru. I recognize you perfectly." She smiled before speaking again. Words that made his eyes flash.

"Hello again, Naru-kun."

His sword gleamed as he jumped into the air. "_YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO CALL ME THAT!_"

Tide shut her eyes.

_I don't want to fight you….._

_Not you…_

_I don't know what I'd do…_

_It's already too much, knowing that Shiro-kun is here….._

_But you!?_

_I thought….I thought…._

_I thought you were __**dead**_.

Tide dodged, not drawing Axel. "…."

Naru whirled around after attacking nothing, eyes gleaming with malice. "Don't _ever _call me that, again!" He readied his blade. Tide smirked.

"Call you what…? Naru-kun."

With a roar, he charged again.

This time, Tide did counter, frowning now. "I wonder why you're so angry." She whispered, now standing. "With my leave, you became everything you could ever have wanted. Isn't that true?" She leapt back, staring at the angry man. "Why aren't you happy!?"

Naru snarled, "No! Because…." He shook his head, speeding towards her again. Tide raised an eyebrow as she blocked.

"What?" She asked. "What? Because….what?" She swiped at him, but he quickly dodged. He landed on the ground while she leapt to the rooftops.

"I am Darks Naru, Captain of Squad 0, a Squad even unknown to the Soul Society! I _will _defeat you!"

Tide smiled.

"_Kuro ni fedo! RIKU!_"

_It's show time…..Axel._

_**Oh? We're using that?**_

_Yes…..because….Naru deserves at least that much._

Naru's zanpukto had become entirely black, and looked neither solid, liquid, or like a gas. It bubbled before settling, then oozing onto the floor. Tide was suddenly pulled to the ground by a blur of black, and she crashed to the ground. She hacked as she stood.

"Shadows….I remember. I suppose since you released Riku, perhaps I should do the same? Even though…"

She howled with laughter. Tide looked directly at him, eyes suddenly a deep red. Naru gulped.

"_Even without releasing my Axel, I could still beat you in one blow._"

Tide peeled off the sleeves of her outfit. "I hate releasing my Axel. Whenever I do, I become a completely different person! And the fire burns my clothes too. But then again…..I don't get to do this often."

She smiled crookedly.

"Most people die before they get the chance to fight it. But you're Naru-kun. You deserve it. My shikai is like the power of a bankai. I will try to give you the fight you've been longing for…..without killing you too much."

_Ready?_

_**It's been too long.**_

_Yes. It has._

"_Hanketsu-bi…Axel._"

* * *

Ichigo paused in his tracks, nearly falling to the ground. Ganju and Hanatoru had no problem doing so, though. "It's…..nee-chan!" Ganju gasped, wincing. Ichigo leaned against the wall. "This pressure…..it's her!?"

Hanatoru panted. "I-Impossible!"

Ichigo gritted his teeth. "Damn! C'mon, let's go! She's over there!" He stumbled before starting to run again. Ganju did the same, and soon, the mousy 4th Squad twerp followed.

Tide smirked, gazing at the flames that surrounded her and Naru. "My shikai certainly does look like a bankai, doesn't it?" She giggled, looking at herself. "Even my clothes changed!"

Naru grimaced, resisting the blood from flowing out of his nostrils. "W-What the hell!?" He gasped.

Tide was dressed in a short top that ended only a few inches from her breasts. She had a short skirt on that rivaled with her school's uniform bottoms, and boots that were knee high. A tiny tiara rested upon her head.

But everything….

_Was on fire._

Her clothes were made of fire, even her hair was made of fire! The only human part was her skin- everything else blazed a deep orange. Tide started talking again, swinging her now scythe around.

"You see…..when I was Vice Captain….they called me 'Flame Princess Tide'. My flames are known to burn anything to ashes exactly when it's touched." As an example, she pressed her palm against a nearby building. "Observe."

It shuddered, before a giant, fiery flame erupted and swallowed the building whole, leaving behind dark ashes. Naru gritted his teeth. "So what!?" He yelled. "I don't care about any of that! _I will beat you! I refuse to believe that you surpass me!_" Naru let out a war cry while charging again.

Suddenly, a loud call sounded through the air. "STOPPPPPP!"

Tide's eyes widened. "I-Ichigo?!" She stuttered, blinking up at the figure.  
Kurosaki Ichigo stood proudly on the rooftop, staring down at Tide and Naru. "TIDE!"

"WHY THE HECK ARE YOU YELLING SO MUCH!?" She called back, narrowing her eyes.

"W-WHAT!? IS THAT SERIOUSLY WHAT YOU'RE GONNA ASK ME, RIGHT WHEN I RUN ALL THE WAY HERE TO GET YOU!?" Ichigo growled, glaring at his girlfriend. Tide gaped.

"WELL EXCUSEEEEEE ME! I'M SORRY THAT MY EARDRUMS WILL, SOMETIME, DURING ALL OF YOUR YELLING, START TO BLEED AND MY BRAIN WILL EXPOLDE AND OOZE OUT MY EARS!" Tide yelled, a sudden inferno raging around her. Ichigo twitched before jumping to the ground, speeding towards the angry girl.

"PUT THE FIRE OUT!"

"WHY DON'T YOU MAKE ME!?"  
"OKAY, I WILL!"  
Naru growled himself as Ichigo kissed her, indeed making the fire die out.

"GAH!" Ichigo cried, separating himself from Tide as said soul reaper punched him in the stomach.

"DON'T GO AROUND KISSING PEOPLE!"  
"I DON'T! ONLY YOU!"

Tide blushed, looking to the side. "W-Whatever! Look, just get outta the way! I gotta fight Naru-kun!"

Ichigo's nostrils flared. "Look, I'm gonna protect- WAIT, NARU-KUN!?" Ichigo whirled on Naru. "The hell are you!? AND YOU! Why'd you call _that _kun!? If ANYONE, you should be calling ME that!" Tide smirked. "Jealous, Ichigo?"

"W-What!? No!"

"Ohhhh, I'm so sorry, Ichi-kun! Please forgive me, Ichi-kun! Please don't scold me too bad, Ichi-kun!"

"AH! Stop it! Look, just let me fight _that_ over there!"  
"_THAT _HAS A NAME! DARKS, NARU! DARKS NARU, AND GET OUTTA THE WAY!" Naru swung his sword, and soon, shadows seemed to wrap around Ichigo. "W-What the hell is this!?" Ichigo yelled, struggling. Tide narrowed her eyes, her flames sparkling.

"Please….Ichigo. This one….is mine. Didn't Ganju tell you of my power?" Tide chided. Ichigo stopped struggling for a moment. "Y….Yeah, but I still wanna protect you! You're-"

"Don't."

Ichigo shut his mouth, eyes wide. "What….?" He asked lowly, hands shaking. _**She brushed me away….like I was nothing.**_

"Not….in front of him."

Ichigo gritted his teeth, taunt with anger.

_**WHO THE HELL IS THIS GUY!?**_

* * *

Hitsugaya Toshiro ran quickly, clenching his teeth. _This situation isn't important enough for Squad 0 to get involved… Does Squad 0 surpass us this much!? _The young Captain slowed his run. _Did I make the right choice, leaving for Soul Society…? _He stopped completely.

_I don't know anymore…_He looked down, concealing a gasp as he saw his hands shaking. _Momo's in prison…..intruders have invaded…and Ichimaru and Aizen planning something…well, before he died, anyway….._

"Tell me what to do…Tide-nee…." Toshiro whispered, eyes shaking with a hint of sorrow. "If you were here…..what would you tell me? What would you console me to do? You knew everything, and could always tell me how to handles situations like this…but you're gone. So who the hell am I to turn to!?"

Suddenly, his eyes widened as he registered the sounds of fighting. "Who is that?" Toshiro shut his eyes. "Tsk, that new Captain of Squad 0…and…."

His mouth fell open.

"_Tide-nee!_"

And he disappeared in a flash step.

* * *

Tide grinned as Naru jumped back, gritting his teeth. He was bleeding from a shoulder wound, and a cut above his left eye. Tide remained unscathed.

Ichigo watched on in shock. "When…..when did she get this strong!?" He asked aloud. Ganju panted. "She…she was always this…strong!" He gasped out. "And this is only her shikai!" Ichigo blinked. "Amazing..."

Tide laughed. "You can't win, Naru-kunnnnnnn!" She taunted, throwing a fire ball around. "There's a reason I was headed for a role as Captain! In fact, the only reason why I wasn't Captain is because I respected Captain Kei way too much!" Tide giggled as she threw the fire ball, causing Naru to stumble out of the way.

"You're strong- stronger than I thought. If I was a normal Captain from Soul Society, I probably wouldn't stand a chance! But I was once your superior, and I think that in this battle, that should be acknowledged!" Tide went on, narrowing her eyes. Naru clenched his hands on his sword.

"I told you before," He yelled. "I refuse to believe that you are stronger than me!" The blonde looked to the side, seeming like he was being repeatedly stabbed in the heart. "You asked me why, even though I've gotten everything I have always wanted, I'm still unhappy. It's because…."

Naru jumped up into the air.

"_YOU WEREN'T THERE!_"

He swung his sword at Tide. "_Kage ga koikara tojo!_" Tendrils of shadows came at Tide.

"_Jigoku no honoo._"

Ichigo gritted his teeth. _Who is this guy to Tide!? How does he know her!?_

Heat seared through Naru as the flames cut through his chest.

_Why…..Tide….why did you…leave…me. _

Tide cried as Naru's scream echoed throughout the air.

_Don't fall…Naru, whatever you do, don't fall…Not until…._

"NOT UNTIL YOU SURPASS MEEEEEEEE!" Tide yelled, raising her head to the sky above. "DON'T YOU DARE FALL, DON'T YOU DARE GIVE UP, UNTIL THE DAY YOU CAN CUT ME DOWN! I'LL BE WAITING…"

Toshiro arrived at the scene, to see Tide sidestep a shadowy attack.

"DARKS NARU!"

He didn't fall.

* * *

_**Authors Note:**_

_**Getting jealous, are we!? Huh, Ichigo? Hehehehe….if only you knew what will happen when-**_

_**Tide: BEEEEEEEPPPPPPPPPPP!**_

_**EHHHHH!? EHHHHHHHHHH!? WHAT IS IT!?  
Tide: Big no no! You can't tell the readers what will happen in the story line!**_

_**You're right! Okay, never mind! As Gin would say, 'Bye Bye'! **_

_**Attacks:::**_

_**Naru's attacks:**_

_**Kuro ni fedo! RIKU!- Fade to black! RIKU!**_

_**Kage ga koikara tojo!- A Shadow Emerges from the dark!  
**_

_**Tide's attacks:**_

_**Hanketsu-bi…Axel.- Judgment Day…Axel**_

_**Jigoku no honoo.- Hellish Flames**_


End file.
